For many baseball fans it’s a dream. Some never realize it. Some chip away at it, year by year. Some accomplish it all in one big season. I’m talking of course about seeing a baseball game in each of the 30 major league ballparks. There’s something exciting and special about visiting a new (to you) stadium. After all, baseball is one of those rare sports where each venue is somewhat different. Different field dimensions allow teams to make a statement – to be unique. As an example, Yankee Stadium has the short porch in right field, a mere 314 feet away, heavily favourable to left-handed pull-hitters. The same right field in Fenway, “Pesky’s Pole” measures a mere 302 feet from home plate, and hitters in Chicago’s Wrigley Field have to muscle-up to hit a shot in right, a good 353 feet away. If you start examining various centre field designs, each features various quirks, such as Houston’s Minute Maid Park which has Tal’s Hill, a 30 degree incline (which reminds me of some of the local fields I play on) toward the wall, complete with a flag pole in play. Each stadium has various other attractions beyond field dimensions, too many worth noting here.

When one starts researching, possibly planning a road trip, there comes the “ah-ha” moment, realizing that there are way more minor league ball parks, many also worth visiting and each with their own unique attractions (plus tickets are always more affordable). In a recent interview, I caught up with Malcolm MacMillan, the owner of www.theballparkguide.com, who to date has visited 53 major and minor league parks, writing a review on each and making notes for fans on what not to miss. Listen to the interview here.

Back in 2008, I was fortunate to take a road trip to New York, and see one of the last games in old Yankee Stadium. Even more fortunate for me, was that it was a Jays-Yankees game in which the Jays won. It was hard not to feel nostalgic, thinking about how many legends had graced that field over so many years. I wasn’t the only one feeling emotional, I noted, as following the game more than several Yankee fans could be seen with tears streaming down their faces. While I wanted to believe it was due to the tough loss my Jays had just handed their home team, it was more likely as a result of the realization that a stadium where they had formed many wonderful memories over the years was soon to be reduced to dust. Sadly, this is the inevitable fate of most parks. Fenway has been around for over 100 years, and while traditionalists would like to think it will stand for 100 more, that is not likely. All good things must come to an end eventually. So why not plan a road trip this summer, and visit some of these beautiful structures while you still can? The parks may not last forever, but the memories will last a lifetime.